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About 3,000 people are expected to gather in Galatyn Plaza beginning at 5:30 p.m. today for the opening ceremony of the Richardson Corporate Challenge. The festivities will include tailgate parties organized by the teams, a ceremonial torch-lighting, a parade of athletes from Special Olympics, Texas, and a Methodist Richardson Medical Center-sponsored one-mile “Great Walk” challenge. Performance Court and Plaza Boulevard will be shut down beginning this afternoon for the ceremony and will reopen at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Corporate Challenge is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.

The City Council heard an update on the 16th annual Corporate Challenge at its Monday work session. 54 companies will make up 51 teams who will compete in 23 athletic and non-athletic events, including volleyball, soccer, table tennis, horseshoes and swimming and more. Seven new companies have joined this year, and the competitors have been placed in seven different divisions based on compatible company size.
More than 12,000 employees from area corporations including Samsung, Raytheon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, and Cisco will participate this year and raising funds in support of Special Olympics, Texas and its local affiliate, the Richardson Roadrunners, the event’s beneficiary since its inception. United Airlines has donated trips for two to be used as a fund raising tool and the Hilton Honors program has donated the hotel stays to go with these trips.

Corporate Challenge is the only corporate competition of its kind in Texas. Events are scheduled at local venues, and are great revenue producers for the hosting sites.

The City of Richardson and participating companies have raised more than $1.2 million for Special Olympics Texas and the organization’s local affiliate over the last 15 years, including $172,000 raised during last year’s games. Companies that participate in Corporate Challenge are asked to raise at least $1,000 for Special Olympics.

Residents who are interested in finding out if the Challenge is something your company may be interested in to build camaraderie, company morale, and employee bonding may contact robbie.hazelbaker@cor.gov for more information.

A full schedule of events and the complete list of companies may be found online at cor.net/cc, and event updates will be posted on the Corporate Challenge Facebook page at on.fb.me/QMjNBj. Watch the City Council presentation at bit.ly/1eIll5D.